


i'm stuttering, stumbling (and spilling coffee)

by lgbtsornhee



Category: Power Rangers, Power Rangers (2017)
Genre: Alternate Universe - No Powers, F/F, Fluff, coffee shop AU, i cant believe i actually wrote and read this with my own two eyes
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-30
Updated: 2017-04-30
Packaged: 2018-10-25 23:26:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,274
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10774674
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lgbtsornhee/pseuds/lgbtsornhee
Summary: Trini used to like the peace and quiet, the blissful serenity of the morning, she just wanted to make coffee, do her job, and get paid, not having to worry about her responsibilities or who she had to impress, she just liked being alone, but then along came Kimberly Hart.Alternatively: Trini works at a coffee shop, Kimberly plays at open mic nights, Trini is a gay mess, Kimberly is also a gay mess disguised as a lady killer, and the boys just want the girls to be happy.





	i'm stuttering, stumbling (and spilling coffee)

**Author's Note:**

> I'm horrible at summaries but give this a read, let me know what you think, kudos and comments are appreciated, if you see any spelling or grammar mistakes, feel free to let me know, anyway, enjoy!

It was a quiet morning, like many others, quiet, still, idle, peaceful, the town seemingly asleep, Trini’s favourite time of day. No one to talk or bother her, no expectations to fill, just a comfortable silence, which Trini relished in. Trini flipped through her phone, waiting for customers to walk in, something she did every morning. The shops old, light brown walls usually made Trini feel as if she was trapped, but not in the morning. The smell of coffee beans and fresh pastries were a welcome scent to her nose, and in the quiet mornings, Trini was content. It was never her plan to work in a coffee shop, but fate works in funny ways, or whatever bullshit excuse she would say to herself that morning. She didn’t plan for this, nor did she plan for a lot of other things, but like most of her life, it was out of her control, so she let ‘god, or ‘destiny’, take its course. It didn’t matter if she liked how it went, it was her life, and she would take it one step at a time, no matter how gruelling, or boring the step might be.

“Um..Hey Jase, since when did we have an open mic night?”

Trini yelled to the back of the store, where Zack and Jason were ‘working’, most likely throwing coffee beans at each other and arm wrestling. Trini quirked her eyebrow at the flyer, which she found conveniently placed all around town, on building fronts, poles, fences, some on the ground, Trini didn’t tell Jason that _._ She studied the poster, skimming over the words.

_‘Come to Rangers Café on Friday nights for open mic and karaoke!”_

The flyer was covered in splashes of red, yellow, and black, a stock photo of a microphone, and some coffee mugs, and what looked like Starbucks pastries. The entire design reminded Trini of that meme that said ‘digital design is my passion’ with a crappy photoshopped frog. Obviously she wouldn't say this to Jason, he really was trying his best. Bless his heart, he really did try, but the flyer was horrendous. She was fairly certain that Zack would tell Jason, a slip of the tongue kind of accident, so Trini made a mental note to make sure that Zack didn’t crush Jason’s hopes.

She put the poster back on the counter as Jason stepped out, his red apron sprayed across his body, the ground coffee beans sprayed across his face, they definitely got into a little rumble in the back, Trini rolled her eyes at the thought, it was a surprise that they still got work done.

“Oh, you saw the posters, a good idea right?” 

Jason said, his expression slightly excited, almost if he had an idea or a some sort of knowledge up his sleeve. He fixed his apron, readjusting the sign back on the store window.

“Well they are kind of hard to miss. But when did you...Get the idea?”

Trini wasn't mad at Jason for not telling her, or consulting her, she was just curious.

“Well we are low on business, ever since that stupid Starbucks opened up across the street, them and their stupid unicorn frappuccinos”

Jason muttered under his breathe, silently cursing out the frappuccino in more vulgar ways then Trini could think of. Trini looks at him oddly, furrowing her eyebrows in confusion, causing Jason to shake out of his day dreaming, most likely of murdering a frappuccino.

“Ahem…I just thought it would be a good way of bringing in new customers, a feeling of community, give people some way to show off their talent, and it would keep shifts entertaining too. Hey Zack, it’s a good idea right?”

Jason says, calling out to Zack, hoping for some support. Zack walks out from behind the employees only door, a black apron around his waist. Zack’s head pops up at his name, and he grabs an apple and sits on the counter, slouching against the back wall, and answers, supporting Jason.

“Yeah I’m down. What Crazy Girl? Scared of a little entertainment.”

Zack teases, poking his foot at Trini’s side, a grin spread across his sly face. Trini slaps Zack's foot away, and he winces as if he was in pain, acting all wounded. Trini would never admit this to anyone, especially Zack, but he was definitely her closest friend. Although he could come off as cocky and annoying, and slightly like a douche, he cared, a lot. The reason he was still in Angel Grove was because he cared so much about his mom, he couldn’t bear leaving her. Zack was loyal and truthful, and Trini was grateful to have him, both of the boys. But she would never tell them this, knowing she’d never hear the end of it, but they all knew it, in their hearts, they loved each other, although Zack could be like an annoying younger brother, and Jason always acted like an overbearing, protective father, they loved each other, and Trini wouldn't trade that for anything.

“Zack you would jump off a cliff for a little excitement, plus you're probably just gonna suck up to a bunch of girls or something.”

Trini swats at his foot again, and he smirks, moving it away quicker, tempting her. Zack continues their banter, all while Jason is sighing loudly, much like the dad he is.

“Well you’re not wrong about the excitement part, but come on, you were thinking the same thing, although you would probably jump off a cliff to avoid an awkward conversation, or just a conversation at all. Most likely running away from a pretty girl.” 

Zack snickers, poking at Trini again, who is too busy stammering and blushing to smack his foot, or grab his apple and throw it in the trash.

Trini is the known tough girl, usually very closed off and stubborn, but the only thing that could break her walls and get her stumbling and stuttering, was a pretty girl, or the mention of said pretty girls.

Look, she wasn't proud of it, nor did she like it, but she couldn't help it. Pretty girls made Trini weak at the knees, causing her brain to short circuit, her body to freeze, all words caught in her throat, usually ending up doing something particularly embarrassing, which is why she would rather run away, or jump off a cliff than have an awkward conversation. Another problem was, that every girl was pretty to Trini, the soft lips, warm hands, that fit perfectly in her own, their curves, the bright, glowing eyes, that held more depth than anything Trini'd ever known, the angelic, soulful laughs. UGH.

Zack knew this, and he _loved_ it. He loved teasing her, poking her, _reminding her_ about how gay she was for girls _._ Zack would do all this, and he knew that Trini wouldn’t say anything, wouldn’t fight back, no snarky, mean, snide remark, maybe a half assed punch to the shoulder, and Zack would mock offence, but that was it, mainly because she was trying to hide the blush creeping up her face, but mostly because she knew all of it was true, every part of it, and she _hated_ it.

“Shut up, pretty boy.” 

Is all Trini could retort, and she knew it fell flat and was unimpressive, but as always, she was too gay to function. She wasn’t uncomfortable with the teasing, and if she ever was, Zack would sense it immediately and stop, but she wasn't uncomfortable so he continued his teasing.

“A pretty girl serenading you, strumming an old acoustic guitar, she’d probably really like the colour pink and act super femme. Seems like just your type.” 

Zack wiggles hie eyebrows suggestively, and Trini starts blushing harder. She gave him props for really nailing her type, that was impressive, but it was still embarrassing. She hears a low chuckle from Jason, whom usually stayed quiet while his ‘children’ bickered, knowing it was better to leave it alone, also knowing that if he interfered he’d get more than a menacing glare from Trini.

So Trini shot a deathly glare at him, the sight sending shivers down Jason's spine. 

_ W_ _ho knew someone so tiny could be so scary?_

Jason froze for a second before speaking.

“Zack, you and I have work to get back to, enough teasing, come on.”

Jason commanded, tapping Zack’s thigh. Zack started to beg like a little child, just so that he could keep the little game going. He put on his best puppy dog eyes and pleaded innocence.

“I was just having a little fun, please forgive me red.”

Zack said in a small little baby voice, which was scarily accurate. But he broke character to smirk at the end, then he started giggling like the little child he was. Jason sighed loudly, before pulling him off the counter and pushing him through the door.

“If anyone comes in, please don’t scare them away, especially if they want to perform.” 

He asked Trini, acting all fatherly, a small grin on his lips. She replies lazily, a smile spreading across her own face as well.

“I’ll do my best, _dad_.”

Trini exaggerated the last word which Jason scoffed at quietly, before shutting the door behind him. Trini continued smiling to herself. Yep, mornings were definitely the best, and she wouldn't trade these idiots for the world.

* * *

Trini listened to music quietly, the faint, dull sound of the coffee machines humming behind her, the smell of fresh pastries filling her scents, the rhythm of her pen tapping the counter droning in the air. Jason was off running errands somewhere, and the coffee shop was quiet and peaceful, although Zack had been letting out a wolf howl every few minutes, the hollers coming from the back room, mainly just to annoy Trini, who had tuned him out ages ago, but not until she had threatened him.

A steady stream of customers came through during the morning rush and during lunch, a select few taking copies of the flyer’s, showcasing the coffee shops open mic night coming up. The shop was usually slow throughout the rest of the day, the occasional customer strolling in, so Trini put her headphones in, fading away, tapping a pen lightly to the tune of the song, not worrying about her responsibilities or problems, just her and the music. 

Trini wasn’t proud of how on multiple occasions, smash mouth began to play on shuffle, causing Trini to question all her life decisions and curse out Zack, whom had downloaded the song on her phone, without her knowing. Trini still didn’t have the heart to delete it.

Trini had been zoning out, as per usual, staring at the clock on the coffee shop wall, her yellow pen tapping rhythmically on the counter, the tapping matching the beat playing from her headphones. Trini was so lost in the music that when she heard the familiar bell ringing, she almost jumped out of her skin. Trini’s head snapped towards the door,a customer entering the shop, and she’d be lying if she said she wasn’t a little taken back. The girl had short, brown, wavy hair, that looked soft enough for Trini to run her hands through. The girl was tall, much taller than Trini, but that wasn’t a hard feat to achieve, something Zack and Jason would never let Trini live down. The girl was wearing tight black jeans, a simple leather jacket, and a faded pink shirt. The girl grabbed one of the flyer’s from the wall, skimming through it, before heading towards Trini at the counter. Trini took a few deep breaths, trying to control her pounding heart, which wasn't very convenient, could she just calm down for five seconds?

“Venti soy chai tea latte.”

The girl ordered, smiling softly at Trini. Alright she ordered a basic drink, something only basic straight girls ordered, so she was probably straight, but that didn’t help, Trini’s heart still skipped a beat, her entire brain focusing on the girls glowing smile, and warm looking lips. Trini nodded, her head tilted downwards, trying to hide her blush, looking away from the beautiful girl, who was causing her more harm than good, slightly failing. Trini registered her ordered, the girl handing her a five dollar bill, Trini giving her the change and began making the drink. The girl was fiddling with the flyer in her hand, looking around the shop, towards the little makeshift stage Jason had began to make, before leaving to get more supplies. Trini made the drink in silence, while other girl fiddled with her flyer, the blush still creeping up across Trini’s face, she could physically feel the other girls gaze on her. Silence filled the air until the other girl spoke, her angelic voice breaking the silence.

“Since when did you guys have an open mic?”

It was a simple question, but Trini had quiet the track record for messing up conversations, especially with pretty girls. Trini tried to act causal and collected, making sure her voice was steady and calm, also making sure she didn’t spill the coffee all over the pretty girl, or herself.

“It’s…It’s a new thing, bringing the local community together or some shit like that, just another excuse to bring in customers.”

Trini worries she pushed a boundary, not knowing why she was so brazen and open or why she even said a sentence that was more then four words. Trini stumbled over her words, still desperately trying to act casually, her plan basically going up in flames. The other girl chuckled quietly, her shoulders shook softly, shaking her head in disbelief slightly, Trini’s heart swooned at the sight alone.

Trini turned around to hand the girl the drink, and as she turned around, the girl was staring right at her, a tiny, intrigued smirk playing on her small pink lips. Trini felt her breath hitch slightly, forcing herself to swallow the lump in her throat. As she handed the girl the drink, the girl’s hand brushed against hers, and even though she knew it was the most cliche thing ever, and she hated it, with every fiber of her being, her heart clenched, her breathing stopped short, and she was literally smacked with the gay. The other girl just looked at her, almost as if she was admiring Trini.

“Sign me up.” 

She said suddenly, breaking the uncomfortable silence. Her voice steady and solemn, a small, playful smirk across her face, as if she was playing a game, the game being Trini. Trini stutters as she asks.

“Um..What?”

Trini wants to look away, she knows she has been staring for far to long, but it wasn’t like the other girl was looking away either, so she continues staring, what else could she do?

“The open mic, this Friday, sign me up.”

Trini paused for a moment, finding herself lost in the other girls warm hazel eyes, before she processed what she had said. Trini stuttered again and nodded her head, looking around for the clipboard Jason had specifically said was for the open mic sign up, the one he had made very clear for them not to lose it, or use it for any other purposes, Jason mostly narrowed his eyes at Zack, whom was just smirking and nodding, but still agreed.

Once Trini found the clipboard, she grabbed it and her yellow pen, as she asked for the girls name.

“Uh..Name?”

She looks up at the girl, who has a mischievous glint on her face. Trini was trying to ignore the look, but everything inside of her was screaming, the mischievous smirk sent shivers down her spine and butterflies in her stomach, damn she was gay, real fucking gay.

“Hart, Kimberly Hart.”

The other girl, Kimberly, said, a teasing tone in her voice. If it had been anyone else who said something so dorky like that, Trini would be laughing her ass off and teasing them, but this girl, Kimberly, wasn’t just anybody. There was a hint of something else in her tone, something unfamiliar, but it made Trini pause, swallowing thickly. She scribbled the name down quickly. Trini could see Kimberly tilt her head out of the corner of her eye as Kimberly spoke up, her voice lingering on flirty, all too flirty for Trini’s gay heart to handle.

“Will I see you there?” 

Trini freezes for a second, for the love of god, she was too gay for this. She paused before asking, again stumbling over her words, cursing herself for not being able to control her emotions.

“Wh…What?”

“Friday, will you be there? It’d be a shame if I missed the chance to serenade a pretty girl.”

Trini was standing still and she still somehow managed to stumble over her own feet. If she had been drinking anything, she would have spat it all over Kimberly. She was barely able to form any words, freaking out, this girl had to be messing with her, she wasn’t actually flirting, was she?

“Um…I…I don’t know, most likely, I..may have plans, I’m not sure.”

If Trini could slap herself repeatedly, she would. Get. Your. Shit. Together. Kwan.

Kimberly’s face visibly dropped, responding quietly.

“Oh, um..Okay.”

Trini desperately tried to correct herself, seeing as Kimberly’s expression had dropped significantly, probably thinking she’d gone to far.

“I..I probably will be there, I am Jason, uh…I mean my boss’s favourite barista.”

Trini said, a little smiling, as well as a blush spreading across her lips, her cheeks a rosy hue. Kimberly smiled widely, a slight surprise in her expression, slightly amused as well. She responded, the flirty undertone back in her voice.

“Well, I’ll see you Friday then.” 

Kimberly smirked, winking at Trini. Trini could hear her heartbeat pounding in her chest, and she was so impressed that she hadn’t passed out yet. She smiled back, trying to cover the gay panic happening throughout her body, hoping to act as if she wasn't dying inside. Kimberly nodded goodbye, a soft, genuine smile on her face, her eyes sparkling, looking as if she was astonished, as she left the coffee shop.

Trini let out an audible sigh of relief, letting her head drop to the counter, hitting it with a quiet thud, her yellow pen falling to the floor, the sound ringing through the shop. Did that really just happen, did that girl, Kimberly, really just flirt with her? Trini was still stunned as she let herself breathe and calm down, her heart still pounding loudly, she could faintly hear Zack laughing manically from the back room, the sound only getting louder as he walked through the back doors. Trini just sighed as he inevitably commented, his voice astonished and teasing.

“That was the gayest thing I’ve ever seen, and I’ve watched the ‘Girls like Girls’ music video, _three times_ , _WITH YOU!”_

Trini just groaned loudly, her head smacking on the counter again. Zack chuckled softly, patting Trini’s back affectionately, still laughing at her clear embarrassment.

“T, you are so screwed.”

His tone was affectionate, as well as teasing, something only Zack Taylor could pull off.

The comment caused Trini to groan even louder, Zack to laugh even louder, and Jason to walk into the coffee shop, very confused, acting very fatherly and protective, threatening whoever hurt Trini, but then he saw Zack laughing, Trini shaking her head, a visible blush on her cheeks, and he just furrowed his eyebrows and accepted the fact that he'd always be confused, but he didn’t really have a problem with that.

 

**Author's Note:**

> I got lazy af editing so sorry for any mistakes, anyway, hello i am memeboi, and there will be plenty of memes in this. Updates will probably be slow as molasses. I can't believe I was actually dragged into this, so if you have any ideas for future chapters or things you wanna see, or if you just want to scream at me, hit me up on my tumblr @indiankimberly


End file.
